“No language can express the power, beauty, and heroism of a mother’s love. “This beautiful phrase by Edwin Chapin is full of truth and strength. But what happens when depression affects the mother-son relationship?Is there anything we can do?
Only a mother and her own son know the bonds that bind them together, they are powerful, strong, unwavering if they are both truly determined and love is sincere; however, many external and internal factors can affect this powerful union.
- There is no doubt that depression is one of the most feared diseases of our time.
- Misunderstanding and loneliness are two realities that unfortunately aggravate this condition.
- And this problem in a mother is extrapolated to her entire environment.
- Especially her children.
- Who may suffer more intensely than if it were her own problem.
The influence of parents on their children is crucial to their development. A mother’s mood has enormous strength that will be of paramount importance in the early days of the child.
After the birth of a child, it is common to find fearful mothers, in fact, it can even become a psychic regression that directly affects the baby, it is time to recover and overcome the situation, but not everyone can.
If depression continues over time, the environment will directly affect the relationship between mother and child and child development. The child will suffer and try to meet his mother’s demands beyond complaining or worrying that his or hers will be met.
Donald Winnicott, a famous English psychoanalyst, was one of the most influential figures in treating depression in mothers and studying its effects on their children. In fact, her interest doubled when a woman went to her appointment worried about her son’s weight loss.
What caught Winnicott’s attention was the fact that this mother was depressed, and she also identified that anxiety about her puppy provided relief to the woman, which set her away from other common concerns.
Upon contacting the child, she discovered that the woman had been abused by her husband, a husband who cares about her self-esteem and happiness at the expense of her wife’s pain and suffering, and this child did not eat again until she realized it. your family situation.
However, despite the child’s improvement, Winnicott recommended that his mother receive psychological treatment, as all of this, in turn, would have a positive impact on his child’s improvement.
A depressed mother disconnects her vital impulse and deprives her child of much-needed affection. As a result, the child’s behavior may be altered. In this article, we talk about the case of a child who has stopped eating, but the effects can be varied.
If a child does not receive the safety and affection of his reference figures, he will create a false “I” that will lead him to fulfill the wishes of others and satisfy others rather than his true “I”.
This whole process can bring children with real disabilities closer to their peers and their environment, we know cases of babies who have even stopped laughing naturally, they simply keep the gesture of liking.
Depression is a complex and difficult disease to solve, however, a mother affected by this condition needs a lot of willpower and courage to succeed, affection for the child will be one of the things that can help her succeed.
It is also important to know that we are not gods, even if we are parents, we do not know everything, besides, even our children, despite the material problems solved, are not without conflict, we have to deal with all this. and help our little ones in that same direction.
Depression must be given its true importance. Minimizing it or trying to pretend that nothing bad happens is a big mistake that can only make the situation worse. It is important to trust, listen and understand.
Of course, psychotherapeutic help is essential. A good professional can help resolve the situation, preventing it from becomes resilient and alleviating the suffering of the patient and their loved ones, especially their children.
Depression can be a determining factor in the mother-child relationship, severely affecting the child’s development, so it is of the utmost importance to treat it in a practical way to give our little ones all the happiness they deserve.